SWIMTAG, the world’s leading platform for pool operators keen to motivate and support swimmers, has teamed up with the UK’s number one referral software provider, ReferAll. The integration allows medical professionals who prescribe pool based physical activity to access real time activity data on individual patients at the touch of a button.

ReferAll offers a fast and efficient online referral pathway for Exercise on Referral schemes. The company is currently working with over 350 services, including exercise referral schemes, health trainers, weight management services and condition specific services, to ensure referred patients receive the professional support they need to effectively and safely integrate physical activity into their lifestyle to achieve positive health outcomes.

Until now, pool-based activity has been difficult to track and monitor, with GPs and other Allied Health Professionals reliant to the word of the patient when it comes to activity undertaken. An integration with SWIMTAG means medical care and treatment plans can be prescribed based on evidence, increasing the effectiveness and relevance to the individual.

Speaking about the integration, Kieran Sloyan, MD at SWIMTAG, says: “The health benefits of an active lifestyle are well documented and utilising technology to better enable a cross-sector approach to patient care is a positive move. Swimming is still one of the most accessible activities making it popular for GPs and APHs to prescribe. This partnership brings the physical activity and health sector closer together, enabling a more effective, patient-centred service.”

Once a patient gives their consent, usually on their first visit to a leisure centre at the start of their referral programme, the medical professional who made the referral is granted access to the patient’s SWIMTAG data via the ReferAll App. They can then access detailed information relating to the type and frequency of activity the patient has undertaken. Future prescription can then be built on factual information, increasing the effectiveness of the prescription.

Stuart Stokes, Commercial Director at ReferAll, says: “At ReferAll our objective is to focus on partnerships, like SWIMTAG, to bring together like-minded people and systems to help grow our network. By doing this we can ensure access to more relevant data, providing crucial evidence to medical professionals of the on-going achievements of Exercise on Referral programmes. This reinforces the essential nature of activity based programmes and provides tangible evidence of their success.”

We are very pleased to announce our first system installed in the Czech Republic this week. AC Baluo is part of the sports faculty of the University Olomouc, with an impressive 25m pool the centre already offers some exciting technology for its swimmers including underwater video analysis and endless pools for stroke development, we are sure that the addition of the Club SWIMTAG system and new Lane Displays will be a big hit with recreational swim members and swim teams who will be able to see their real time progress whilst poolside along with the challenges and competitions provided online.

SWIMTAG’S, cloud-based pool challenge attracted 1187 participants, across more than 200 pools in the build up to the Commonwealth Games, which took place this year on the Gold Coast of Australia.

Swimmers were invited to complete the 16km between the Carrara Stadium, where the athletics took place, and the Gold Coast Aquatics Centre, which hosted the swimming, between March 1 and the Opening Ceremony on April 4.

More than 430 participants completed the challenge in an average of 21 days. The fastest finisher was a male swimmer from a Places For People managed pool in Wellingborough who took just 3 days to swim the distance.

Speaking about the success of the challenge, Colin Scott, Business Development Manager, at 222 Sports, creators of SWIMTAG, says: “When we set the challenge we worked out that it would typically take somebody swimming 40 lengths of a 25 metre pool per session, three times per week to complete the challenge in around 4 weeks!”

SWIMTAG challenges are promoted direct to registered users. This means that operators offering the system do not have to get involved in any set up. All the administration, challenge updates and feedback to swimmers throughout the challenge is managed by SWIMTAG and accessed by participants via the SWIMTAG online platform. Operators can then choose to promote the challenge via internal marketing and social media if they wish, and this can really help to drive engagement. Our records show that pools running and promoting challenges can attract up to a 40 per cent uplift in recorded swims.

“There are always new challenge options available on the SWIMTAG system. Swimmers can move from one challenge to another. Setting personal goals maintains motivation and gives swimmers a reason to enter the water on a regular basis. If we are to halt the national decline in swim participation, we need to find new ways to engage and motivate people in our pools. SWIMTAG challenges certainly tick this box.”

Following previous SWIMTAG installations at Normanton Swimming Pool and Featherstone Sports Complex, Wakefield Council have now installed SWIMTAG at their flagship Sun Lane Leisure Centre.

Based in the centre of the town, Sun Lane is the Council’s busiest pool and since the launch, the use of SWIMTAG has been high.

Health and Wellbeing Community Activator Debbie Hastings said “SWIMTAG has worked well for us at Normanton and Featherstone and now it’s in at Sun Lane, we can offer it to even more users. We’re particularly looking forward to using the new “Pool Battle” feature which will allow the three centres to compete against each other and create a bit of friendly rivalry between the pools”.

Business Development Manager for 222 Sports Colin Scott said “We’ve done three installations now at Wakefield sites and they’ve all gone really well. The main thing they have going for them is the staff at all the sites. SWIMTAG is a great tool but but people need to try it out to really understand how it works and then get addicted, so it’s vital that the reception team and everyone else around the centre has enthusiasm for the product and the confidence to encourage members to use it. They have that across all the Wakefield sites, which is why they are doing so well”.

The City of Wolverhampton Council has invested in Club SWIMTAG systems and lane displays to enhance its swim offer and encourage higher participation levels.

The Council’s leisure portfolio, branded WV Active, includes three leisure centre, two with pools, Bilston-Bert Williams and Central Baths and both completed their SWIMTAG install this month.

In addition to the standard Club SWIMTAG system, which enables swimmers to log and track session activity and get involved in a variety of cloud-based challenges, The Council has also invested in lane displays which offer the added benefit of delivering real time information on session activity direct to swimmers on poolside.

Talking about the install, Sean McBurney, WV Active Manager, says: “SWIMTAG brings much needed gym style innovation to poolside, creating a more engaging and motivating experience for swimmers. In addition to enabling swimmers to seamlessly log and track their activity, recording data such as session duration, number and type of strokes plus the number of lengths completed, the system also creates opportunities to get involved in a variety of individual or team based ‘battles’. This offers those who want it, a chance to become a part of a swim community, introducing sociability to an otherwise very solitary activity.”

“I’m really looking forward to running some inter-site challenges” continues Sean. “Swimming remains Britain’s most popular activity but, despite the widely recognised mental and physical benefits associated with regular involvement, participation is in decline. We need to reignite the nation’s enthusiasm for swimming and technologies like SWIMTAG sit at the heart of the solution.

“Here at WV Active, community swimming remains an important part of our leisure offering. Swimming is an activity most people, regardless of age, gender or physical ability can enjoy and we intend to continue to invest in making swimming an appealing activity for all.

“Our ambition is to encourage as many of our swim users as possible to create a SWIMTAG account and give it a go. If we can do this, I believe we will see a significant increase in both casual swim usage and swim membership.”

To use SWITAG, swimmers simply collect a wristband from reception ahead of their session. The band is returned to reception on exit and individuals can then access session data stored in their personal online account from any device with internet access.

Kieran Sloyan, Managing Director at 222 Sports, creators of SWIMTAG, adds: “SWIMTAG is now available at over 200 sites and engages more than 82,000 swimmers. Every month, more than 3400 swimmers get involved in our challenges, with this number growing month on month. We are really excited to welcome WV Active pools into our network and will continue to work closely with the team over the next few months to ensure they get the most out of their install.”

To find out more about how SWIMTAG could improve your swim offering, contact the team now on 01225 282117.